This is a request for continued funding of the predoctoral training program in Neuroscience at Brandeis University. Our program is organized under the umbrella of the Volen Center for Complex Systems and is headed by John Lisman, chairperson of the Neuroscience Program. We propose to train 11 predoctoral students per year in the fields of molecular, cellular, systems, cognitive, and computational neuroscience. The training faculty includes 22 members of the Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Psychology and Physics Departments. Available research projects run the full range from basic molecular and cellular studies of neurons to research with clinical patients with neurological disorders such as aphasia and epilepsy. Specific topics include the biophysics of ion channels, signal transduction, neurogenetics, circadian rhythms, developmental neurobiology, the circuit dynamics of neural oscillations, learning and memory and motor control. Trainees are chosen from our large pool of neuroscience graduate students. They will satisfy all the laboratory rotation requirements, course and qualifying exam requirements of the neuroscience PhD program, will carry out PhD thesis research in the laboratory of one of the training faculty and will participate in training activities that include our Neurobiology Journal club and lecture series. In addition, they will make an annual presentation of their research progress to the Neuroscience community. All trainees will attend and participate in a course in the responsible conduct of science. Our broad-based training environment and strengths in computational neuroscience provide a unique environment for teaching students how cognitively relevant brain computations emerge from molecular, cellular and network processes.
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